The Plaza, Guildford

As well as hosting the Ricky Tick Club, Guildford for a couple of years, The Plaza also had a life of its own.

It opened as the Central Hall Picture Palace in July 1910 with 600 seats. Then, in 1923 it was re-named Central Picture Palace. It was taken over by the County Cinemas chain in October 1930 and was re-named Plaza Cinema. In September 1939, it was taken over by the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd.

The Plaza Cinema closed on 29 September ’56 with Kenneth Moore in “Reach for the Sky” being the last showing. It was boarded up and lay unused for several years, and sometime in ’59 was converted into a venue/bingo club, with Ken Slater starting the Plaza Ballroom, managed by Ken Brewer. The Plaza’s house band would play the dance music of the day, and a group called The Tropics, featuring Mick Douglas and the late Chris Crinnel, appeared regularly when it first opened as a dance hall. Ex-The Rhythm Five and Crescendos member Dave Brice worked the door and met artists on the outskirts of Guildford to guide then to the venue and the back door. While playing at The Plaza, Pete Chester caught The Crescendos – he’d previously been in The Five Chesternuts with Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch of The Shadows, and his band had a brief residency at The Plaza – asked members of The Crescendos if they could go pro’ and fill in for members The Pete Chester Combo. Also while playing at The Plaza, The Crescendos were joined on stage by Vince Taylor of Vince and His Playboys. Around ’59, Farnborough born Nelson Keene had formed The Raiders with a few friends, and along with winning contests they played The Plaza.

On the 7 May ’61, Gene Vincent played what was labeled The Plaza Ballroom. Backed by Sounds Incorporated, Vincent was so exhausted after 20 minutes – having been working in a TV studio since 5am that morning – that he had to be helped off the stage. The Stormville Shakers won the 1st heat of the All England Beat Competition, held at the Plaza Ballroom, on 24 Sept ’63. It was later that year that the Ricky Tick elevated the venue when it moved in on 29 November ’63; but moved out after almost 2 1/2 years in February ’66 when The Plaza was leaning more and more toward bingo hall. In the mid-60s local group The Vibros hit the stage. Meanwhile, around ’65, The Stormsville Shakers were part of The Larry Williams Show and these recording sessions led to their appearance on the snappily title “The Larry Williams Show Featuring Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson with The Stormsville Shakers” LP, the cover of which carries an image taken at The Plaza, Guildford.

The first Guildford Arts Lab event of poetry and folk music, took place on 26 October ’65 in a cellar behind The Plaza. In ’65/’66, Wounded John Scott Cree played a number of times in that cellar in ’65/’66.

Bingo began to take over the venue, but the music didn’t stop totally although details are patchy: teenage brothers, Mike & Richard Ashworth, as Wax Promotions (they managed Wax Records in Woodbridge Rd), along with Pete Newberry, who was responsible for the Gin Mill, Godalming put on the first Dr Feelgood gig in Guildford at the Plaza in 1974, booking them at least once more. Mike Haldenby recalls going to the gig, where Dr Feelgood were supported by a band called Heritage, and at the end of the gig the Feelgood’s roadie gave out bundles of posters, several adorning his sixth form common room for a while listing Dr Feelgood at The Gin Mill, Guildford. That same year A Band Called O, Phoenix, The Splendid Humans, and Zox and the Radar Boys ventured into The Plaza; and on 30 October, Judas Priest’s ‘Rocka Rolla’ tour pulled into the old cinema.

These teen-impresarios also booked a band called Casablanca to play The Plaza; and Bruce Foxton‘s pre-Jam progressive garage band called Rita appeared there. Another band with local connection, Asylum played the venue a couple of times. Sometime around ’75, Stray appeared at the venue. From around 2001, it became the Drink nightclub and by 2014 it was the Casino nightclub.

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